1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to trivet utensils, and more particularly to a convertible trivet utensils which converts from a planar trivet to a bowl.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various conventional trivet utensils have been devised for holding containers or as a cooling platform. The problem which has long existed is the lack of a dual purpose trivet utensil which provides both the function as a cooling platform and as a container according to the invention herein described.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,803, issued to Kienlen et al., discloses a collapsible plastic trivet device which comprises a pair of integrally molded, pivotally connected, elongated plastic arms which operatively open and close in scissor fashion, with upstanding spacer blades. The arms open so that a container can be made to rest on the respective arms. U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,706, issued to Allen, comprises a base with a cylindrical structure mounted thereon for holding a container in an upright position. Other related art shows trivets having various ornamental design features for improving the aesthetic value of the trivet. These include Design Patents issued to Beyer (210, 477), Greger (255, 208), Sabin (259, 762) and Ciampi et al. (323, 959). However, none of these references teach the design features of the invention as herein described.
The convertible trivet utensil of the instant invention is different in that it is a dual purpose trivet utensil, wherein a portion of the utensil is expandable via a plurality of frusto-conically shaped rings to form a bowl shaped or substantially paraboloidal structure, which is neither taught, nor suggested by the prior or related art. Thus, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.